Fast-food restaurants became a big
part of the 1950's culture.
They became very popular during that era
because families were busy and
wanted a place they could quickly
pick up food. People also
wanted to be able to pick up fast
food so they could rush home and

eat in front of their new TVs.

In the 1950's, fast food was viewed
as pure Americana. In today's
world, fast food is often viewed as
being low quality in exchange for
convenience and speed. Today,
fast food places are located in most
small towns with a population over
5,000 throughout the U.S.

In 1951, Robert O. Peterson opened
the first Jack in the Box in San
Diego, California.
Jack in the Box was the first major
chain to use an intercom system and
the first to focus on drive-through
service.The intercom allowed much
faster service than a traditional
drive-up window. While
one customer was being served at the
window, a second customer's order could be taken and
prepared. There are 2,200 Jack in
the Box locations
in 21 states across the U.S.

Col. Harlan Sanders had been selling
fried chicken out of his gas station
in Corbin, Kentucky. When the
new interstate came through it did
not pass by his gas station.
As a way to make money, he began
trying to sell his recipe and
cooking process to other
restaurants. In 1952, the
first KFC franchise was opened in
Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2018
there were 4,200
KFC restaurants distributed across
all 50 States in the U.S.

Church's Chicken is an American
chain of fast food restaurants
specializing in fried chicken, also
trading outside North America as
Texas Chicken. The chain was founded
as Church's Fried Chicken To Go by
George W. Church Sr., on April 17,
1952, in San Antonio, Texas.
At this time, there are
935 Church's
Chicken locations in the U.S.

The fast food explosion of the 50's
began with McDonald's. It was
originally founded by Richard and
Maurice McDonald in 1940 as a
barbeque restaurant. The first
McDonald's franchise opened in
Phoenix Arizona in 1953 and then
spread across the country. In
1955 Ray Kroc joined the company as
a franchise agent and purchased the
chain from the McDonald brothers in 1955.
At that time, a hamburger cost 15
cents. McDonalds is now the world's largest
fast-food chain. In 2019 there
were 14,146
locations across the United States.

The
first Sonic Drive-In was opened
as Top Hat
Drive-Inn in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1953 by
Troy Smith Sr. He later
partnered with Charlie Pappe and
they began franchising in 1959 under
the Sonic Drive-In name. It is best
know for its use of carhops on
roller skates who deliver the food
to their customers in cars. In
2020 there are 3,585 Sonic Drive-in
locations throughout the U.S.

In 1954, the first Burger King
opened in Miami, Florida. It
was originally founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King in Jacksonville,
Florida. When Insta-Burger
King ran into financial difficulties
in 1954, it was purchased by two
Miami-based franchisees and renamed
Burger King. In 1954 burgers and
shakes were 18 cents each. The
Whopper was added in 1957 and sold
for 37 cents. In 2019 there
were 7,237
Burger Kings across the UnitedStates.
The largest
Burger King is located in Budapest,
Hungary.

The first Taco Bell opened in 1954
(as Bell's Drive-in) in San Bernadino, California. Between
1954 and 1955, Glen Bell built three
Taco Tia stands in California.
Since his partner was not interested
in expanding Taco Tia, he sold him
his interest and began El Tacos.
Later, he sold those to his partners
and built the first Taco Bell in
1962. In 2018 there were
over 7,000 Taco
Bells located across the U.S.

Dunkin' Donuts was founded in 1950
by William Rosenberg. He
opened the first Dunkin' Donuts
restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts,
and served coffee and pastries.
His goal was to "make
and serve the freshest, most
delicious coffee and donuts quickly
and courteously in modern, well
merchandised stores.”
The first Dunkin' Donuts franchise
opened in 1955. In
2019 there were a total of 9,834
Dunkin' Donuts locations in the
United States. .

Other restaurant chains that
originated in the 1950's that are
still around today: